Crystal Mason's ballot was never counted. Will she still serve five years in prison for illegally voting?
Her lawyers say if her sentence stands, it could discourage low-information voters from going to the polls at all. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/642ab6ae80513ba91aa94803dd0e15ca/05%20Crystal%20Mason%20LBS%20TT.jpg)
-
![Crystal Mason spoke about being accused of voter fraud and her upcoming court case on Sept. 9 2019 in Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Central Texas river authority, lakefront property owners reach settlement to avoid draining four lakes — for now
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and property owners in Guadalupe and Gonzales Counties agreed to not drain four lakes held up by 90-year-old dams, on the condition that recreational use of the lakes is banned. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3812353d97c024a755641b5c1996c855/02%20GBRA%20McQueeny%20Dam%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![An aerial shot of the dam on Lake McQueeny near Seguin on Aug. 30, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to provide free tuition for students with household incomes under $75,000
The tuition assistance program is expected to cover tuition and fees for about half of UTRGV students in the 2020-2021 academic year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0d6bdfe75030cd68f69750b933d2b735/20160215_UTRGV-Brownsville-Campus_DP_0024%20TT.jpg)
![Students cross a bridge at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus in Brownsville.]()
Credit: David Pike/UTRGV -
State Rep. César Blanco to run for Texas Senate
He is vying to replace state Sen. José Rodríguez, who announced Friday he is not seeking reelection. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4ca4925e309487fdff9bd23657964bed/Cesar_Blanco_CENSUS_MKC_TT.jpg)
![At a press conference at the Texas Capitol, state Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso, addresses the decision taken by the Trump Administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas redistricting is hard enough when politicians trust the mapmakers
Lawmakers get jittery when it's time to redraw their political maps, and the exercise is based on a mix of power, party, clout, tenure — and trust. That last one is a fleeting quality in the Texas House right now. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Watson1CMS.jpg)
![State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, looks at redistricting maps at a Senate hearing on May 13, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Another budget fight looms this month in Congress centering on border wall funding
As lawmakers in Washington prepare a budget for the next fiscal year, funding for the border wall is taking center stage — again. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/12/27/Border_Wall_1_CR_TT.jpg)
![The border fence and levee passes through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Hidalgo, Texas on Feb. 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Beto O'Rourke looks to reactivate suburban strength in Texas
After falling to third in recent Texas polls, the Democratic presidential candidates barnstorms the suburbs that help tell the story of his breakthrough 2018 U.S. Senate campaign. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6ed6fd6b261c8cfcaaaea69fb81cee31/01%20Beto%20ORourke%20El%20Paso%20Presser%20IPA%20TT.jpg)
![Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to supporters at Tom Lee Park on Aug. 15, 2019, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
After Houston debate, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez switches endorsement from Castro to Biden
The South Texas congressman cited the debate — during which Castro and Biden tangled — as he threw his support to the former vice president. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9dc6cad9cc542bac40c015515827dfb1/Vicente%20Gonzalez%20DY%20TT.jpg)
![U.S. Congressman Vicente Gonzalez speaks to the crowd at a campaign rally for senate candidate Beto O'Rourke in Edinburg.]()
Credit: Douglas Young for The Texas Tribune -
Julián Castro hit Joe Biden over Barack Obama’s immigration legacy. But in 2013, Castro supported Obama’s policies.
Castro hasn’t always been a liberal darling on border issues: In 2013, he gave a full-throated endorsement of the border and immigration policies advocated by Obama and touted the completion of enforcement measures that included fencing along the U.S-Mexico border. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5149d38591cf1796602e14e458c15eab/04%20Castro%20Houston%20Rally%20AM%20TT.JPG)
![Presidential candidate Julián Castro speaks to the crowd during a rally at Warehouse Live on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019, in Houston.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas State University says it misreported campus crime numbers
Texas State, which has already undertaken reforms, said the "system previously in place did not produce accurate statistics." School officials said the U.S. Department of Education has been working with university police to ensure accurate information in an annual campus security report due next month. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e5ef78f3994c2c82fb085e7de3861c6e/01_Texas_State_University_CR_TT.jpg)
![Texas State University campus in San Marcos, Texas.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. José Rodríguez, an El Paso Democrat, announces his retirement
Rodríguez, who was first elected in 2010 to represent Senate District 29, said he will retire from the Senate at the end of this term in January 2021. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2e4b183c325ee33d50bae56607ff6891/09%20House%20Democratic%20Caucus%20Presser%20EW.jpg)
![State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, speaks to the press following Gov. Abbott's State of the State address in Austin on Feb. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Julián Castro digs in as some Democrats express unease with his questioning of Joe Biden's memory
Castro's rivals in the Democratic presidential primary offered mixed reactions to the tense tangle between him and the former vice president. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/777731a1fc897a2192522ec4dc6e8c8e/05%20Houston%20Debate%20Castro%20TT.jpg)
![Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julian Castro makes his way through the spin room after the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston, Texas, U.S. September 12, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman -
Former law school employee defrauded UT-Austin out of nearly $1.6 million, internal report finds
The university has already begun tightening its financial controls and will strengthen its efforts to detect and prevent fraud. The law school’s dean, Ward Farnsworth, has been asked to make improvements. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/456a9f05c09accb5b2f237fcaec68f58/UT_Law_School_02.jpg)
![The University of Texas Law School building on Wednesday, April 11, 2018]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Judge temporarily blocks plans to drain four Texas lakes and accompanying dams
The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority planned to drain the lakes, which it considers a public safety threat, on Monday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a50706a448ffe96af94b17b7092466a5/06%20GBRA%20Dunlap%20Dam%20MG%20TT.jpg)
![An aerial shot of the dam on Lake Dunlap near New Braunfels on Aug. 30, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republican lawmaker to Beto O'Rourke: "My AR is ready for you"
State Rep. Briscoe Cain's tweet was taken as a death threat against a presidential candidate from a state that recently experienced two mass shootings. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/02/07/_BDC2543_Cain.jpg)
![State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deek Park, talks with Evan Smith during a TTEvents with freshmen representatives on Feb. 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
As violence increases, more Mexicans are waiting in Ciudad Juárez to apply for asylum
Mexicans fleeing violence in their home states are joining Central Americans in the wait to seek asylum in the United States. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3b3b34fc24316acdb191ec15e7750d71/Brownville_International_Bridge_RL_TT.jpg)
![Immigrant families seeking asylum in the United States wait on the Mexican side of the international bridge connecting Brownsville to Matamoros, Mexico.]()
Credit: Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: For Texas Republicans, one election is no longer enough
Add a word to the Republican vocabulary in Texas: November. After two decades of GOP dominance, the party's candidates are still winning, but they can't safely assume that they've got an election in the bag after they win the GOP's March primaries. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b495bda576816f9ea30eedff3ba274a6/Abbott_Patrick_Bonnen_Joint_Presser_2.jpg)
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen hold a joint press conference on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Texas is paying more for full-day pre-K. But some school districts are delaying.
How are Texas school districts using state pre-K funding to expand educational options for 3- and 4-year-olds? It depends where you look. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0e580e8443ee60cffd6feaaa76b36240/090519-Hemphill%20Elementary-016%20TT.jpg)
![JoAnn Zavala, pre-K bilingual teacher at Hemphill Elementary, leads a short period of exercise on Sept. 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Julián Castro goes after Joe Biden during debate, questioning his memory and his commitment to Barack Obama’s legacy
The showdown early in the debate came after Biden criticized the "Medicare for All" health care plan touted by U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/438b956a5bbaf6fdfd76c4abad79ceb9/Castro%20Biden%20Dem%20Debate%20Split.jpg)
![Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro and former Vice President Joe Biden at the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston on Sept. 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Photos by REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman -
Beto O'Rourke gets debate moment: "Hell yes, we're going to take your" assault weapons
The Democratic presidential candidate offered an unapologetic defense of his proposal to mandate buybacks of assault weapons. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1e8c02f8f8bb5dba9e2a31f6e2d112b3/02%20Houston%20Debate%20Beto%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke takes the stage for the start of the 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Houston on Sept. 12, 2019.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman